Cotton-cleaner.



J. T. & W. R. RODGERS. COTTON CLEANER APPLICATION FILED 1m. 23. \917.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET J. T. & W. RODGERS. COTTON CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.23. 1911.

1,260,581. Patented Mar.26,1918. 3SHEETS-SHE2J 1.16. w. R. RODGERS.

COTTON CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.23.19\7.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

R R 0% W W M 65 if Attorneys parativoly Ian-name ornron JAMES "li. EGDGERS AND WILLIAM R.

RODGERS, 02E @KLAlf-IQMA, UKLAHUMA.

CGTTON-CLEANER.

Application filed January 2 To all whom z'tmay concern."

tron being to provide a machine which will relates to machines for remove from the seed cotton, dirt, sand,

leaves, trash, hull, shale, straw, grass seed, and in fact all other foreign substances, the machine being also capable of use in treating gathered boll cotton, so as to disintegrate the bolls and clean the dirt and trash as to put the cotton in better the gin than has heretofore therefrom so condition for been possible.

Several efiicient cotton cleaning machines are now in use among which may be mentioned the machine disclosed in Patent No.

690,614, issued on January 7, 1902. It has been found, however, that cotton grown in some sections of the country, such as klahoma, and portions of Texas, gets into very bad condition near the end of the season and that it is practically impossible, at one operation of any cleaner now in use, to put this cotton into as good condition for the gins as is desired. In fact, many ginners are compelled to run this cotton more than once through their cleaners, thus adding materially to the cost of cleaning in that it is necessary both to operate two machines and also to utilize extra power and labor.-

It is well known that the condition of cotas it is picked from the field varies ing the first part of the bolls that clean and do not contain much dirt, trash or hulls. However, as the season advances and the stalks, leaves and bolls are killed by frost, the cotton becomes trashy. Ultimately the storms beat the cotton out of the open bolls and onto the ground and it becomes exceedingly dirty and full of trash. Cotton in this conditionrequires more than an ordinary cleaning process' in order to properly renovate it and put it into condition to produce a salable grade, of lint cotton. One of the objects [of the present in Specification of Letters Patent.

being supplied to Patented Mar. 26, a, raw. tenant. iaaoai.

the ordinary early picked it as a double cleaner when treating very dirty cotton, the machine also being capable 0 use as a single or doub e boll thresher.

A further object is to provide a simple, compact and durable machine of this character which can be quickly adjusted for use either as-a single cleaner, a double cleaner, or a single or double boll thresher and cleaner.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter de claimed, it being understood that c anges in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the inven tion. 4

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings z- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 Fig. 2..

Fig. 4 is a section through a portion of the machine on line H'of Fig. 2

Referring to the figuresv by characters of reference 1 and 2 designate superposed side castings suitably fastened together, side castings 1 being connected by a back wall 3, spaced cross beams 4, 5 and 6, and a front cover 7. This front members 8 connected by an outwardlybulged or arched sheet metal plate 9 and carrying a hinged closure 10 whereby access may be had readily to the interior of the machine. A front plate 11 connects the side castings below and in front of the cover 7.

The lower side castings Qare connected by cross beams 12, 13 and 14, and by a back plate 15, there being a screen panel '16 connecting the portions of j j a cross strip 18. i An' outlet opening 19 is formed below the back plate 15 and 1nclined downwardly to ward this opening is a transverse partition bottom of the receiver 22 and is provided,

I which constitutes transverse polygonal shaft 32 journa within the side castings 1. On this shaft are 7 at its lower end, with a valve made up preferably of four fabric flaps 25 adapted normally-to close together so as to prevent the escape of material from the flue until a predetermined amount has accumulated, the flaps being held in closed positions by suction as hereinafter pointed out. It is preferred to have the tube 2 discharge into a tube or flue 26 extending from a hopper 27 the bottom of the cleaner and is arranged between the lower edge portions of the side castings 2.

An inlet opening 28 is formed between the beams 5 and 6 and leading to this opening is a flue 29 designed to guide cotton from a wagon or the like. The opening 28 is in communication with a separating compartment 30 located above the partition 20 and the bottom of which consists of an arcuate screen 31 which is concentric with1 3 arranged contacting sleeves 33 from each of which project oppositely extending beater arms thefifiarms being preferably curved oppositely to their direction of rotation. The free ends of the arms are adapted to work close to the screen 31.

Secured upon the beams a and 5 is a cover plate 35. A breaker bar 36 is slidably mounted within the space formed between beams 4 and 5, there being wear plates 37 on these beams for engagement by the breaker bar. This breaker bar has breaker fingers 38 extending inwardly therefrom and so located that when the bar 36 is pushed inwardly against stops 39 extending from the side castings 1, the fingers 38 will project between the paths of the beater arms 34:.

Racks 40 are slidably mounted in the cover plate 35 and are fixedly connected one to each end of the breaker bar 36. These racks are constantly engaged by connected segmental gears 41 supported by brackets 42. An arm 43 is extended outwardly from one segmental gear and to this arm is connected one end of an actuating cord 44 the other end of which is located where it can be conveniently reached by the operator. This cord is mounted on suitable guide sheaves 45 so that when the cord is pulled downwardly at its free end, the arm43 will also be pulled downwardly and the breaker bar thus drawn into position between beams 4 and 5 so that the fingers 38 will be shifted out of active positions. When, however,

accuser said cord 44 is released, the-weight of the bar 36 and the parts carried thereby will be sufficient to cause the bar to gravitate against the stops 39, thusto bring the'fingers 38 into active positions. Extending from that end of the screen 31 remote from the breaker bar 36 is a concave 16 formed preferably of sheet metal and diametrically opposed to the arcuate plate 9. Both the concaves and the plate 9 are concentric with a shaft 47 which is journaled within the side castings l and carries a drum 48 from the periphery of which radiate flights 49 which are preferably of sheet metal and which extend throughout the length of the drum. These flights work close to the concave 46 and the arcuate plate 9 and constitute means for directing cotton from the beater arms 34: over the drum l3 and under the plate 9,

The screen panel 16 constitutes the outer wall of an outlet flue 50. The inner wall 51 of this fine extends downwardly from one end of a concaved screen 52 extending partly over the hopper 27. Another concaved screen 53 is interposed between screen 52 and the cross beam 12. Concentric with the screen 53 is a shaft 54; carrying beater arms 55 which can be similar to the arms 34:. Another shaft '56 is journaled in the side castings 2 and is concentric with the concave 52, this shaft being also provided with beater arms 57 similar to the arms 55. A breaker bar 58 is slidably mounted between thebeams 12 and 13 and has breaker fingers 59 extend ing. therefrom. Stop projections 60 are arranged on the side castings 2 and serve to limit the downward movement of the bar 58. Racks 61 extend from the breaker bar 58 and through a cover plate 62 which is secured to the beams 12 and13. These racks constantly mesh with connected segmental gears 63 from one ofwhich extends an arm 64:. An actuating cord 65 is attached to this arm andhas one end located where it can be conveniently reached by the operator. This cord is mounted on suitably arranged guide sheaves 66 wherebywhen the cord is pulled downwardly at its be pulled downwardly and the breaker bar 53 moved upwardly out of active position. However, when cord 65 is released, bar 58 and the parts carried thereby will gravitate downwardly so. as to bring fingers 59 into position between the paths of the breaker arms 55. The cords 44: and 65 are held nor mally in lowered positions at their free ends by pins 67 which are adapted to be engaged by rings 68 connected to the cords.

Journaled within the side castings 1 close to the front plate 11 is a rod 69 to which is Another rod 71 is jourand substantially in free end the arm 64: will castings 2 close to the with the shaft 56, this weasel tion of the machine and the upper arm of end of the flue is placed 72 are closed, they edges and cooperate to centric with the shaft 56.

The shaft32 is provided at one end with a pulley 82 designed to through a belt 83 from any suitable drive belt extends to and in engagement with a pulley 86 secured to one end of the shaft 56 and another pulley 87 is secured to this shaft 90 to another pulley 92 secured to the l shaft 47.

When it is desired to use the machine for cleaning seed cotton which is comparatlvely free of dirt, hulls and the like, "the 'corg v79 is pulled so as to cause; the gates 79 an through the flue-29 so that when the outer like containing cotton, the cotton'wlll be concave 31. The rotating beater arms 34 Wlll beat out the foreign substances and the flights 49 and d opened so that th operator closes the gates sequently,

receive motion imperforate concave extending screen concave,

flue 24 becomes sutiicient to 25, said substances will gravltate into the fter the cotton upon by the beater arms 34 it is taken up b ischarged between the gates and 72 so as to pass out through the passage 50.

Should the cotton be exceedingly dirty e cleaning operation cannot properly be 'eflected as above described, the

70 and 72. Concotton after being acted on by the beater arms 34 will be directed by the drum the closed gates 70 and 72 and the guard plate 81 and thence onto the beater These arms will draw the cotton Consequently the foreign substances broken up on the concaves 53 and 52 will be free to fall into the hopper 27 and thence pass outwardly through the flue 26. The cotton after leaving the'concave 52 will be directed into the passage 50.

Should it be desired to thresh the cotton bolls, either a single or a double threshing operation can be efi'ecteth Where a single threshing operation is to be carried out, the gates 70 and 72 are opened and the breaker bar 36 is lowered to bring its fingers 38 into active positions. Where a double threshing operation is to be carried out, the gates 70 and 72 are closed and both of the breaker bars 36 and 58 are l of the cotton.

A deflector 22 is located within the receiver 22 so as to direct the foreign substances downwardly into the flue 24.

' at is claimed is 1. A cotton cleaner including. a structure structure, a screen concave 'nterp'osed between the'cotton lnlet and t e suction flue, a revoluble seriesof beater arms between sa l screen and the cotton inlet, an

a drum revolubly mounted abovesaid concave, flights extending therefrom, separate screen concaves below the revoluble beater arms 2. A cotton cleaner including a structure having a cotton inlet and a cotton outlet, a

suction flue in communication with the interior of the structure, a screen concave interposed between the cotton inlet and the suction ilue, a revoluble series of beater arms between said screen and the cotton inlet, an imperforate concave extending from said screen concave, a drum. revolubly mounted above said concave, flights extending therefrom, separate screen concaves below the drum, a series of revolnble beater arms above each concave, said. last men tioned concaves and beater arms being di'sposed at one side of the cotton outlet, and means adjacent the drum for closing direct communication between the drum and the cotton outlet and directing cotton to the beater arms below the drum.

3. A cotton cleaner including a structure having a cotton inlet and a cotton outlet, a suction flue in communication with the interior of the structure, a screen concave interposed between the cotton inlet and the suction flue, a revoluble series or beater arms between said screen and the cotton inlet, an impertorate concave extending from said screen concave, a drum IEVOllllJlj? mounted above said concave, flights extendingthere-from, separate screen-concaves'be low the drum, a series oft revolnble beater arms above each concave, said last mentioned. concaves and beater arms being disposed at one side of the cotton outlet, means adjacent the drum for closing direct communication between the drum and the cotton outlet and directing cotton to the beater arms below the drum, upper and lower t eater engaging certain of the screen fingers extending therefrom, and adapted to project between the paths of adjacent beater arms, and separate means tor shifting the respective breaker bars to remove the breaker fingers trom acbrealrer bars concaves, breaker tive positions,

a. it cotton cleaner including astructure having a cotton inlet and a cotton outlet, a suction flue in communication with the interior of the structure, a screen concave interposed between the cotton inlet and the suction flue, a revoluble series of beater arms between said screen anl the cotton inlet, an imperforate concave extending from said screen concave, a drum revolubly mounted above said concave, flights extending therefrom, separate screen concaves below the drum, a series .of revoluble beater arms above each concave, said last mentioned concaves and beater arms being disposed at one side oi the cotton outlet, means adjacent the drum for closing direct communication between the drum and the cotton outlet and directing cotton to the beater arms below the drum and separate means for collecting heavy foreign substances discharge through the respective screen concaves and conveying them to a common point.

lln testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto afiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

Janus r. nonenns. wrtiimn n. nononns.

Witnesses:

lt. il/loanow,

l4. Marrnnws.

Evil 

